The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-07
The Central Pacific Investigation.

1no ScULTdl lnVeSCl&aU1On.
The attempt of Congress, through a COM
mission, to find out something about the
transactions of the Central Pacific officials
which are suspected to have been in viola
ton of law will probably not be very sue
cessful. The publication of the famous Col
ton letters and the testimony in former inves-
LEGATIONS have caused the people to believe
that Huntington and his associates resorted
to the most profuse bribery to secure from
former Congresses the grants of land and
money which made them millionaires. The
same course was pursued in fighting the
Texas Pacific scheme of Tom Scott. and
was again successful. The Southern Pacific.
with which Huntington headed off Scott,
was built nominally without government
aid, but it is claimed that it was built
largely at the expense of the Central
Pacific, without authority of law and great
ly to the damage of the government. The
property on which the government has a
lien was burdened, and the income from it,
part of which should have gone to meet
the governments claim, was diverted
secretly to the construction of
road on which the government
has no mortgage. Branch lines of the Cen
trail Pacific are thought to have been con-
structed on the same plan.
The investigation was set OH foot to dis
cover, if possible, if these things were true
1t was to be expected that the men accused,
if guilty, would block the inquiry in
every way possible, for on its. failure
depended their fortunes and, perhaps, even
their liberty. They were in possession of
the books of the companies and all written
evidence that had not accidentally slipped
from them, and they have found it a COM
paratively easy matter to battle the
efforts of the commissioners to get at the
truth of their crooked transactions
The taking of testimony has about
closed, and the people are left in the I'M
comfortable position of knowing they have
been swindled, while unable to prove it by
such evidence as would be accepted in court
In one of the most important branches of
its inquiry the commission was hampered
by an adverse decision of Justice Field 1t
would not be justifiable in a layman to say
that Judge Field did not expomd good law,
even though his decision disappointed the
country, and the district judge who sat on
the bench with him dissented in strong
terms. 1t is open for anybody to say, how
ever, that he subjected himself to just
criticism when he allowed himself to be
made the chief figure at what
may be called a congratuatory banquet
given by the men whom his decision had
perhaps saved from disaster and disgrace.
A man occupying his great position cannot
afford to hobnob with men suspected on
reasonable grounds of having robbed of
millions the government of whose depart
ment of justice he is one of the most promi-
nent figures.
This decision of Judge Field and the sub
sequent attitude of Huntington and his
associates toward the commission haYe been
the incidents of the investigation which
have attracted most attention. AT first
they were sullenly defiant; now they are not
only defiant, but insolent The cotnsel of
Huntington must have felt he was safe and
the government foiled when he ventllred to
answer demand for certain books by pre-
senting a bill for the commissioners ex-
penses in travelling over the road, at the
same time insinuating fear that it would
iob pc l'lli. anu blitil us iltllo were Oh Il
character to shame the members.
These men owe the government near
500 600, 900, but theirs is not the debtors at
titude. They are not intent on paying their
debt but on increasing it, that it may ex-
coed as far as possible the value of the prop
erty covered by the government lien, and
which they will surrender when they have
made out of it all they possibly can. Con-
grels ought 10 try its best to get even with
these men.
1t is quite evident that Representative
Huff never expects to ask any fayors Of